The village of Masaera Kilema, in the Moshi Rural province
of northern Tanzania, has water rights to 200 l/s from the Wona River, which
flows perennially from the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. Approximately 70 years ago local engineers
built an irrigation canal to redirect water to the village for the purposes of
irrigation and domestic use. Many
unintentional leaks and breaches have formed in the canal walls allowing water
to escape back to the river or to illegal farm plots between the canal and the
river. During the dry season this has
devastated the crops in Masaera and has begun causing conflict in the village. During the rainy season, uncontrollable flows
are undercutting the banks and scouring canal surfaces.

In the last 20 years there have been efforts to repair the
leaks. A number of outside organizations
have either volunteered or been hired for the tasks. In general, there was limited, if any, engineering
work performed. In addition, the village
has been reluctant to fix or maintain the canal due to the unstable political
climate in Tanzania and the culture of dependency due to the relative ease of
obtaining financial aid from the West.

As we, EWB Valpo, partner with the villagers of Masaera to
repair the canal and improve the overall quality of life, we foresee six goals
to be achieved by the summer of 2013:

1)
Have a functioning canal that is not in
danger of failure, that provides sufficient water to grow crops in the dry
season anddoes not flood in the wet
season.

2)
Have a canal system that is maintainable
by the local population.

3)
Have a village population that is able
to recognize and repair problems with the canal.

4)
Have a village that is aware of
water-borne diseases and safe drinking-water practices.

5)
Have a well-established, reliable,
respected water council, able to regulate water usage, coordinate repair
efforts, and raise and manage necessary funds for repair and maintenance
operations.

6)
If deemed feasible, have a reliable,
piped, freshwater system that is a source of safe drinking water within 400 meters
of every home in Masaera.